Carolyn McKerracher

I offer sessions Tues-Fri from 8am until lunchtime/ early afternoon, but this is evolving. 

Initial consultation £20 and thereafter the fee is £50 for 50mins, with limited concessions.

Unfortunately, EH1 Therapies, West End is not wheelchair accessible. There is one flight of stone steps down to the basement premises and one step up to the toilet. If this space is not accessible to you, please get in touch to discuss possible alternatives, as I will endeavour to find something suitable. 

Seeking counselling is a courageous step. I will offer you a safe space in which we can explore whatever has brought you here. I am a psychodynamic counsellor and have almost 40yrs prior experience as, an NHS scientist, then community worker.

We all experience difficulties in life. We may feel unfulfilled, anxious, lonely, sad, have relationship difficulties, or be coping with grief, ill health, or trauma, or we may feel that we are living in a way that is not true to ourselves.

Often, we manage these difficulties on our own, or with the support of family and friends, but sometimes it may be helpful to work with a counsellor or psychotherapist, someone who is confidential, non-judgemental and will try to understand your life from your perspective.

My approach is psychodynamic, which looks at how our early relational experiences impact on us both consciously and unconsciously, in both helpful and unhelpful ways. These patterns of relating are often repeated throughout life, in later relationships, family situations and in the careers and jobs we choose. They can also contribute to the way in which we experience and heal from grief, illness and traumatic events. Being heard in a supportive way, in a confidential, empathic and trusting therapeutic relationship, can lead to insight and change.

Psychodynamic counselling is a relational process which relies on the relationship between you and I, on what is said and what is unsaid and what is experienced by both of us, in the room. Consequently, I only work in person and only on a weekly basis, to enable us to build a trusting relationship.

As it is important to find the right therapist for you, I offer a reduced fee, initial 50minute consultation, in person, to allow us time to work out whether I can help and whether we could work well together. This is£20, but times are limited each week.

I have a Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Human Relations and Counselling, awarded by Robert Gordon University and accredited by COSCA. My PhD is in Medical Physics and I hold a PGDip in Community Education.

I have practiced in two Third Sector services, working with adults and young people (16+yrs) who had experienced anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, caring responsibilities, physical illnesses, trauma and loss. I am now in private practice.

Before becoming a counsellor, I spent 18 years as a scientist in NHS cancer services and 19 years as a education and support worker, in prison, youth work, drug and alcohol services and homelessness. All of these experiencies, including my own, led me into counselling.

I offer both short and long term therapy, with adults and young people (aged 16+years), of all cultures, races, beliefs, identities and disabilities and I am open to learning from and being challenged by, people whose life experiences are different from my own. Although I do not have specilised training in neurodiversity, nor ADHD, I work on the basis that my role is always to try to understand your experience from your perspective, in whatever way you find easiest.

I am a member of both COSCA and Â鶹ԭ´´, two professional bodies for therapists and I am insured through PPS. I am a PVG Scheme Member for regulated work with children and protected adults, in both support work and private counselling. 

I offer a reduced fee, no-obligation, initial consultation, to allow us time to determine whether I can help, whether you feel safe and comfortable and whether we would work well together.

The practice at EH1 Therapies is in a basement flat in the West End of Edinburgh, accessed by a flight of stone steps. If this is inaccessible to you, please get in touch to discuss the possibility of an alternative, as I will endeavour to find somewhere suitable.